Holy Ground
by ThingsHopedFor
Summary: "Come on," Percy sighs, grabbing Jason's hand and pulling him out of his bedroom. "I'm going to introduce you to my mom." / The day Jason and Percy meet is touch-and-go. JasonxPercy
1. Chapter 1

**AN: So, I promised my darling Taffeh A. Llama that I'd write her a Jasercy fic, and here it is. The finished thing.**

**This is dedicated to Taffeh, obviously. It's ten times more fluffy than what I usually write-which isn't to say that's it's proper fluff, but it's a start.**

**Warnings: Um, none? Haha, slash and slight language, but that's it. **

**Disclaimer: Ever, unfortunately, not mine. But since I couldn't write PJO better than Uncle Rick himself, you guys should be thrilled about that!**

_**Enjoy, guys!**_

**~THF**

* * *

It's halfway through June, and Jason is at a party in San Francisco with a group of people he's probably supposed to know, but whose names have all blurred together by now.

Jason's feet sink into the wet sand as the waves are pulled back out to sea, and he swigs his Coke. The moon is high in the sky behind him, even though the sun is still burning low on the horizon. All around him, the party is in full throttle—bodies grinding on the sandy, makeshift dance floor; music blaring from speakers drug out from one of the condos farther up the beach; shrieks of drunken laughter just loud enough to be heard.

Jason tips his head back, closing his eyes as the waning sunlight caresses his cheeks. The rest of the party has forgotten about him by now. He can breathe easy again.

"It's a nice night, huh?"

The voice startles Jason out of his daze, and he twists to take in the boy he hadn't heard approaching. He looks like he's sixteen or seventeen, and he's tall and skinny, with perfectly messy black hair, lightly tanned skin, and an athletic, muscular build. Jason tries not to notice how low the boy's swimming trunks are slung on his hips, revealing the deep V of his hipbones.

"Yeah," Jason replies, and hopes he's not blushing. He forces his eyes away from the boy, looking back out at the ocean. The boy moves to stand beside him.

"Are the parties always like this?" he asks, glancing over his shoulder at the throng of gyrating bodies. Jason follows the boy's gaze, furrowing his brow.

"I think so," he answers. "I've only been to a few, but they're always going at it." Jason grimaces, but the boy beside him laughs.

"I'm Percy Jackson," he says, holding his hand out to Jason. Jason's mouth quirks into a smile, and he shakes Percy's hand.

"Jason Grace," Jason says, and Percy grins.

"Well, Jason, what do you think about getting out of here and doing something interesting?"

"You mean, leaving the party?" Jason asks, furrowing his brow.

Percy wrinkles his nose cutely. "That's usually implied when someone says 'getting out of here.' "

Jason puts an indignant hand on his hip. "Smartass," he retorts, but his voice is teasing and mildly flirtatious.

Percy smiles. "You want to go or not?"

Jason doesn't even think about saying no.

* * *

Percy drives a rusty, beat up, old Chevy truck. Jason and Percy had both changed out of their swimming trunks and into jeans and lightweight hoodies, and Jason slides into the passenger seat of Percy's truck as Percy shuffles through a milk crate full of assorted CDs.

"I give up," Percy announces, not even half a second later. He hoists the box out of the back seat and hands it to Jason. "You pick the music."

As Percy drives out of the beach condo's parking lot, Jason sifts through the box of CDs. He pauses on one in particular.

"Mixed CD?" he asks, looking up at Percy and noting the way the brunette's eyelashes fan over his cheeks when he blinks. "What's on it?"

Percy shrugs. "Who knows? My friends, Annabeth and Rachel put it together for me. They mentioned something about it being a playlist for summer flings. They're kind of hoping I 'fall in love' this summer."

Jason inspects the cheap, clear case that holds the CD. Scrawled in messy, nearly illegible handwriting are the words "Holy Ground—Summer Fling Playlist."

"Whenever my sister makes me mixed tapes, they're just an assortment of various Green Day songs," he mutters. "I don't even like Green Day."

Percy snorts. "Really?"

Jason clicks open the case and takes the CD out, sliding it into the CD player that obviously wasn't in the original model of the car. Percy turns the volume up, and static crackles out of the speakers for a second before the music starts playing, the twang of a guitar filling the car.

Jason almost chokes on his own laughter when the musician begins singing.

"Is…is that _Taylor Swift_?"

Percy's cheeks flush red. "Two girls put the list of songs together," he complains, but doesn't move to change the song. "Besides, you recognized her by her voice!"

Jason shakes his head, his laugh mellowing out into a grin. "My friend Leo listens to her all the time. He says it helps him 'get in touch' with his feminine side."

Percy laughs-one of those childish, throw-your-head-back, belly laughs. Jason grins at him, and for the first time in a long time, he feels comfortable.

Percy's a stranger—new, fresh, and exciting. Jason feels like he could spend the rest of his life in this seat as long as this boy is in the seat next to his.

* * *

"Truth or dare?"

Percy's lips wrap obscenely around the straw in his milkshake as he considers Jason's question. They've been sitting in the diner for almost two hours, trading witty comments and childish banter, drinking milkshakes (Percy) and black coffee (Jason), and sharing a blueberry pie (Percy's choice). The pie tastes like shit, but Jason is comfortable around Percy, so he doesn't mind.

"Truth," Percy decides. Fifteen minutes ago, Percy came up with the idea that they should play Truth or Dare. So even though it's very pre-teen girl, Jason agreed.

"Hmm." Jason taps his fingers against his mug, looking around the diner. It's ten at night, so there aren't many others in the diner. In the big corner booth, there's a large group of stoned teenagers, and in another booth, a couple in their twenties sit across from each other, talking in low, serious voices. Behind the counter, the chef is leaning down to whisper in the ear of a blushing waitress—the same waitress who swings by every now and then to refill Jason's coffee and get Percy another milkshake. Otherwise, the diner is empty.

Jason's eyes linger over the retro tabletop in front of him—which smells faintly of lemon-scented cleaning supplies—as he notes the salt and pepper shakers pressed up against the wall beneath the window, a sticky menu advertising the special of the day, Jason's coffee, Percy's milkshake, and that god awful blueberry pie.

Jason looks up at Percy. "Why did you choose _blueberry_, instead of something normal, like apple or pumpkin or, hell, even pecan?"

Percy laughs. "It's this thing I do with my mom," he explains, a soft smile stretching over his mouth. "When I was a kid, she was married to this douche bag. He swore blue food didn't exist, so my mom bought and made blue food whenever she could. They're not together anymore, but eating blue food reminds me that my mom is rebellious in her own right."

"That's simultaneously ridiculous and kind of brilliant."

"What about you?" Percy asks, leaning forward on his elbows, poking his tongue out to catch the milkshake's straw and draw it into his mouth. He misses several times before he gives up and lifts the milkshake to his mouth, and Jason pretends not to notice. "What are your parents like?"

Jason smirks at Percy. "I'm pretty sure you're supposed to ask me if I want to tell the truth or take a dare first."

Percy snorts. "_Sorry_," he quips sarcastically, batting his eyelashes at Jason. "Truth or dare?"

Jason rolls his eyes and tries not to laugh. "Truth," he says, putting on his best indignant tone of voice (which, given that his sister is kind of a mess, is really good).

"What are your parents like?" Percy asks theatrically, waving his milkshake around in the air for emphasis. Jason chuckles.

"I don't know. Honestly, it's just been me and my older sister, Thalia, for a long time. My dad is busy a lot, with work and his wife, so I don't see him very often. And my mom died when I was a little kid; I don't remember her very well."

Percy sobers immediately. "Oh," he says, blinking. "Shit, Jason, I didn't—"

Jason cuts him off with a shake of his head. "It's fine. You didn't know." He twists his mouth into a sardonic smile. "That's kind of the point of Truth or Dare."

An awkward silence stretches between them, and Jason clears his throat uncomfortably.

"Truth or dare?" he mutters, swigging his coffee. Percy blinks.

"Truth," he says without any hint of hesitation, and Jason knows Percy only chose this for his benefit. _An eye for an eye_, Jason thinks. Percy got something personal out of Jason, and now he's giving Jason the chance to ask him a personal question in return.

"Do you have a girlfriend?" Jason asks, instead. He chooses this question because it's relatively impersonal, and he doesn't want to know the intimate details of Percy's life just because Percy feels bad about stumbling across the information that Jason's mom died fourteen years ago. But also, Jason chooses this question because he's been _dying _to know its answer since he first laid eyes on the boy sitting in the booth across from him.

"Nah," Percy answers. "I, uh. I don't swing that way." His cheeks turn red, and he rubs the back of his neck like he's embarrassed. It's a good look on him, surprisingly.

"Yeah?" Jason says. "Me, neither."

Percy looks up at him. "Really?" he asks.

Jason smiles. "Well, I'm pansexual, actually. So it just depends on what—_who_—catches my interest."

Percy studies him for a moment, then smirks. "So," he says, looking directly into Jason's eyes, "did _I _catch your interest?"

Jason's grin stretches the scar above his mouth.

"Come on," he says, slapping a twenty dollar bill on the table, climbing out of the booth, and trekking towards the door. "Let's go somewhere else."

"Jason!" Percy calls after him, but Jason just laughs and keeps jogging. He makes it all the way to Percy's truck before Percy catches up with him.

Percy's hands find their way onto Jason's waist, catching him in his tracks and stopping him short, twisting him around and pressing him against the passenger door of his truck. Jason laughs, eyes sparkling as he looks up at Percy.

"You going to kiss me now, Jackson?" Jason teases, a little bit breathless from the intoxicatingly close proximity. He can feel the muscles in Percy's chest, swears he can feel Percy's heart beating just as fast as his own.

"No." Percy grins, leaning down to whisper in Jason's ear. "I think you'd like that too much."

Percy pulls away and winks at Jason, walking around to the other side of the truck and climbing in, starting the car. Jason drops his head back against the window.

"Bastard," Jason sighs, but he's smiling, and he turns and pulls open the truck door and climbs in beside Percy.

* * *

They get cigarettes from a cheap, shady gas station that doesn't ask for ID (thank god, because at sixteen and seventeen, neither Jason nor Percy can legally purchase cigarettes).

"Jase," Percy says, and Jason turns away from the knock off Twinkies to look at the other boy, who's holding up an empty Icee cup. "You want one?"

Jason cocks his head to the side. "How much sugar are you going to consume tonight?"

"As much as humanly possible," is Percy's retort, and he shakes the cup at Jason. "You want one or not?"

"I'll just share yours," Jason says, shaking his head and trying not to smile. Percy chuckles.

"I'm getting a blue one," he warns, and Jason rolls his eyes.

"The flavor is called Blue Coconut Raspberry."

Percy makes a face at him and grabs the biggest cup, filling it to the brim. The two boys purchase their cigarettes and Icee, and then they go.

* * *

Jason sips at Percy's Icee as Percy cruises through town. It's already midnight, somehow—they've spent the whole night wasting time. They've changed CDs several times, but they're back to the mixed tape they never finished.

The beginning of a new song starts, and Jason jolts in his seat, jerking forward to turn up the volume of the song.

"The Mowgli's are on here?" he exclaims.

Percy shakes his head at the song, smiling. "Annabeth and Rachel knew I was coming to San Francisco to spend the week with my dad. I guess they figured this song was perfect for a summer fling."

"I love this song," Jason says, settling back into his seat. Percy glances over at him, then turns the song up a little louder. A moment later, Percy's voice, purposefully off-key and out of sync, begins singing along with The Mowgli's.

"_Well, I've been in love with love and the idea of_—"

"Shut up!" Jason laughs, gently shoving Percy's shoulder. "You're completely butchering it."

"Oh, I suppose you think you can do better?" Percy mock-challenges.

Jason smirks and rolls his eyes. "I don't sing."

Percy sings along with the lyrics even louder, and Jason groans. But he's too stubborn to give in and sing, so he just skips the song and drowns out Percy's indignant complaints by pitching the volume louder and louder.

"Walk the Moon?" Jason asks. It's one of his favorites, too. "Your friends—Annabeth and Rachel. They're not complete hipsters, are they?"

Percy only laughs, and he sings along with this song, too, but softer, in tune, and in line with the lyrics. Jason rests his head against the back of the chair and sighs contentedly as he listens to Percy's voice, which is surprisingly good now that he's not purposefully making it sound awful.

"_I lose the feeling in my fingertips_," Percy sings, his voice gravelly, and Jason thinks he could get lost in the sound of that voice. "_When you are close to me, I shiver_."

* * *

The windows are unrolled so that Jason and Percy can hear the music playing in the car from their perches on the swing set. They're not actually swinging back and forth—more like idling in one place as they smoke their cigarettes and try (and fail) to blow smoke rings.

"Shit!" Percy cries. "I was so close just then!"

Jason laughs. "You weren't!" he protests. "That was even worse than the last time!"

Percy laughs, kicking his legs back and forth lazily. "I'll get there eventually," he swears. Jason smirks, but doesn't say anything. He looks up at the sky and takes in the moon and the stars, and wonders what it'd be like to be a star, shining so intently above all the meaningless problems on earth.

"You think," he begins, surprising himself, since he hadn't meant to speak aloud. "If I was a star, do you think anyone would make wishes on me?"

Percy is quiet for a moment, and Jason tears his gaze away from the sky to look at him. Percy's eyes are fixed on the stars, his dilated pupils reflecting their light.

"Yeah," Percy says eventually, and Jason watches him. "I think a few people would." He drops his gaze, meeting Jason's eye. "I think a lot of people would overlook you, though. They'd take you for granted; they'd think your shine wasn't as bright as the other stars'."

Jason frowns, looking away from Percy, back up at the sky. Percy's voice is soft as he continues.

"But the few people who did wish on you… I bet they'd be the lucky ones. I bet they'd be the ones whose wishes actually came true. They'd spend the rest of their lives glad that they wished on you."

Blood rushes to Jason's cheeks, and he looks back at Percy. "How are you so articulate?" he complains.

Percy only laughs in response, blowing out a puff of smoke as he stands and rubs his arms through the sleeves of his hoodie.

"It's a little chilly," he says. "Let's get blankets from the truck."

* * *

What they end up doing is sprawling in the truck bed on top of the blankets, lying with their sides pressed together to exchange enough body heat to keep warm in the slightly chilly air, but neither boy complains.

"You did, you know," Jason says after the last track on the mixed tape—a folk tune by last year's American Idol winner, whose name neither boy can remember—begins.

"Did what?" Percy asks.

It's late now—they've spent at least four hours in the park. Jason's dad is going to kill him when he gets home, but he can't bring himself to care. All that matters is being here, with Percy.

"You know." Jason's cheeks flush slightly. "You caught my interest."

Percy's hand moves down Jason's arm to his hand, and he knots their fingers together.

"Yeah," Percy breathes, "I know."

They lie quietly next to each other, bodies pressed against each other, fingers twined together. After a moment, Percy rolls onto his side, leaning over Jason.

"I think I'd like it, too," Percy whispers. Jason raises a brow.

"You'd like what?"

Percy smiles. "Kissing you."

And Percy leans down and captures Jason's lips, kissing him thoroughly, deeply. His tongue prods into Jason's mouth, and n that moment, Jason doesn't mind at all that he might end up being nothing more than the summer fling Percy's friends hoped Percy would have.

The mixed tape crackles to an end, pauses, and then starts over. The chords for the first song begin again, and as Jason moans into Percy's mouth, he lets the lyrics wash over him.

_And right there, where we stood, was holy ground._

* * *

**_Fin._**

**I've listed the tracks on the mixed tape here, in case anyone wants to know all of the songs the boys were jamming to (:**

_**Holy Ground Playlist: **_

_Holy Ground—Taylor Swift_

_What If—Colbie Caillat_

_Old White Lincoln—Gaslight Anthem_

_Addicted—Saving Abel_

_The Rock Show—Blink 182_

_Sugar, We're Goin' Down—Fall Out Boy_

_Bubbly—Colbie Caillat_

_My Songs Know What you Did In The Dark—Fall Out Boy_

_The City—Ed Sheeran_

_Come On Get Higher—Matt Nathanson_

_Enchanted—Taylor Swift_

_Everything Has Changed—Taylor Swift_

_Collide—Howie Day_

_I'm Coming After you—AtomicTom_

_Kiss Me—Ed Sheeran_

_Long Live—Taylor Swift_

_Starlight—Taylor Swift_

_State of Grace [Acoustic Version]—Taylor Swift_

_Stolen—Dashboard Confessional_

_This—Ed Sheeran_

_Treacherous—Taylor Swift_

_Out of Summertime—Scotty McCreery_

_Wake Me Up—Ed Sheeran_

_Your Body is a Wonderland—John Mayer_

_You and Me—Lifehouse_

_You're Beautiful—James Blunt_

_Yellow—Coldplay_

_San Francisco—The Mowgli's_

_Shiver—Walk The Moon_

_Anywhere But Here—Mayday Parade_

_So Easy—Phillip Phillips_


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Well, golly gee. I wasn't planning on continuing this, but in the midst of avoiding NaNoWriMo, I was inspired to write a chapter two. Which means that this has officially become a multi-chap, and will be continued beyond just this chapter. Cheers.**

**As with chapter one, this is dedicated to Taffeh A. Llama-because she doesn't actually know I've been working on this ****_at all_****, but I really hope she likes it.**

**This chapter is kind of...not as fluffy as the first. It's not really angsty at all, of course, but yes. Not quite as fluffy as chapter one.**

**Also, there isn't a playlist for this chapter. There is an overall one for the rest of the fic, but for this chapter, there isn't one.**

**Warnings: Mostly the same as chapter one. Still slash, a little bit more language in this one. Um, actually this one has mentions of sex, and a brief make out scene. Because reasons.**

**Disclaimer: Still, unfortunately, not mine. Percy Jackson and all associated themes belong to Rick Riordan. The plot belongs to me. The song lyrics at the end belong to Nickelback.**

_**Onwards and Enjoy!**_

**~THF**

* * *

Early September finds Jason back at school, a thousand miles away from his boyfriend. Jason knows all of the teenagers surrounding him, stopping by to greet him and ask him about his summer, but he doesn't care about any of them.

"Jason! My main man! My home brother!" The Latino drops into the desk next to Jason, grinning as he lightly punches Jason on the arm. "I was hoping we'd have homeroom together!"

"Hey, Leo," Jason says, and he smiles at his best friend's antics.

"Dude, I haven't seen you all summer," Leo says, shaking his head. "Let me tell you, life is just not as good when I don't get to see your pretty face every day."

Jason gives Leo an amused smile. "I'm sure bunking with Piper made up for it. How was Italy, by the way?"

Leo's cheeks turn a little red, and he gives Jason a mischievous smile. "You ever meet someone, and the first thought in your head is, 'I'm going to marry them one day'?"

Jason thinks of eternal sex hair, lively eyes, and sharp hipbones. He hopes he isn't blushing as he asks, "Did you meet a girl over in Italy?"

Leo grins. "Nah. But I did meet a guy, so…"

Jason coughs. "Sorry, what? Since when do you like guys?"

"I don't," Leo mumbles, glancing down at his lap with a goofy smile. "It's just Nico."

And Jason gets it, because he's Jason, and he understands that sexual preference isn't as black and white as 'gay or straight.'

* * *

"Hey, babe," Percy says when he picks up the phone, his voice husky and tired, like it always is when he's just woken up.

"Hey," Jason says, and he feels a wide grin stretch over his mouth. "Did I wake you?"

"Yeah, but I don't mind. I fell asleep whilst doing homework."

Hearing Percy's voice makes a certain warmth pool in Jason's stomach, and Jason drops his backpack to the floor and toes off his sneakers, slumping onto the couch. He and Percy have spoken on the phone almost every day, these two weeks that Percy's been back with his mom in New York, and even though it's not the same as Percy being beside him, speaking into his ear and driving Jason crazy, it's still better than nothing.

"I just got home from school," Jason says, drawing his knees to his chest and shutting his eyes. He can hear Percy breathing over the phone, and it sends chills down his spine. He can almost pretend that Percy is sitting on the couch next to him.

"How was your first day?" Percy asks, in that supportive boyfriend way that Jason associates solely with Percy. Percy started school a week ago, so Jason has already treated Percy to a similar question.

"It was good seeing Leo and Piper again. I didn't realize how much I missed them over the summer."

Percy laughs. "That's because you were so preoccupied with me, right?"

"Right," Jason agrees, and they both laugh.

"Hey, Jase," Percy says, regaining his composure, "I've got to go. My mom is calling me for dinner. I'll call you again later tonight, okay?"

"Okay," Jason echoes. He's always known that being so far away from Percy was going to be hard, but he still hates the distance and time difference. When the line goes dead, Jason pulls his phone away from his ear and starts their playlist. Since Percy left, he's downloaded every song to his iPhone, but it still doesn't feel right without Percy singing along and purposefully botching every lyric.

Jason sighs. _Two months_, he reminds himself. _Just two months until Thanksgiving break. Two months until I get to see Percy_.

* * *

"I feel like everyone got a boyfriend over the summer except for me," Piper complains jokingly, draping herself over the couch. "It's really upsetting. I'm prettier than both of you bitches, and I'm _still _single."

Jason snorts, and Leo wiggles his hips at Piper. "Suck it up, Beauty Queen. We all know you could have your pick of the litter here in California if you wanted."

"And," Jason adds, "we never get to see our boyfriends, anyways. It's kind of like they don't exist half of the time."

Piper rolls her eyes. "Oh, please. You and Percy are always texting, and Leo and Nico Skype constantly."

"Yeah," Leo agrees, softly, a rueful smile pulling at his lips, "and we miss each other like crazy."

Piper sighs. "You're both seeing your boyfriends for Thanksgiving. What am I doing? Gaining three pant sizes and watching Silena and Charles make out on my couch."

Leo winces. "That _is _pretty bad. I don't even like to be in the same _vicinity _as Silena and Beckendorf when they get at it."

"So you see my problem!" Piper exclaims, throwing her hands up in the air. She turns to Jason. "Please, for the love of God, don't leave me here with Leo, Nico, Charles, and Silena. Take me with you to New York."

Jason shakes his head. "Percy and I won't be any better than Nico and Leo, or Silena and Beckendorf."

Piper grunts, falling back on the couch. "I hate both of you so much."

* * *

Percy has Jason up against a wall before Jason can even say that Percy has a nice apartment.

"Oh, God," Jason moans into Percy's mouth, and Percy's knee pries apart Jason's legs.

"I missed you," Percy mutters, moving from Jason's mouth. He nips at Jason's jaw, presses searing, open mouthed kisses down Jason's neck. Jason whimpers.

"I missed you, too," he breathes, and grinds his hips into Percy's.

Percy groans, and then his hands are underneath Jason's ass, hoisting Jason's feet off of the ground and dragging a surprised yelp out of Jason's mouth.

"Hey!" Jason protests, instinctively wrapping his legs around Percy's waist as Percy pulls him away from the wall, carrying Jason further into the apartment. "You can't just carry me around like I'm a sack of potatoes!"

"I'm topping right now," Percy retorts. "I'll do as I damn well please. Later, when you top, I fully expect you to do the same. Now, _shut up_. All this talk of potatoes is turning me off."

* * *

If Percy's hair usually looks like he's just had sex, after Jason finishes with him, it looks like he might have just barely escaped the clutches of a tornado. Jason feels very proud of himself.

"Ugh," Percy groans as he slides into his boxers. "Hot damn, Grace, could you have been any rougher? My ass is killing me."

Jason smirks and tugs his jeans on over his boxers. "You know you like it rough."

"Yeah," Percy says, grinning and pulling his boyfriend in for a gentle, sweet kiss. "I do."

Across the apartment, a door slams shut, and Percy jumps.

"Oh, shit!" he cries. "Mom and Paul are home!"

Jason pulls on a long-sleeved shirt (he decides to skip the t-shirt he wore on the plane for obvious reasons—it's fucking cold in New York) and looks at himself in Percy's mirror. Both teens are flushed, and there's a very prominent hickey just above the collar of Jason's shirt. There's no question about what they've been doing.

"Percy?" A woman's voice echoes from across the apartment, and Percy gives Jason a wide eyed look as he stumbles into his skinny jeans.

"Hang on, Mom!" Percy hollers, yanking on a t-shirt and looking over himself in the mirror. His clothes are rumpled from where they were haphazardly tossed on the floor before, and his hair is noticeably more tousled than it normally is. Percy curses.

"For the love of God," he mutters, shaking his head. He runs his fingers through his hair a few times, to no avail, then shrugs at Jason.

"In hindsight," Percy says lightly, "we could have timed that a little better."

"Round Two was totally necessary," Jason quips, but he's got that weird, nervous, and anticipatory feeling in his stomach, and he thinks he might throw up. He's not prepared to meet Mrs. Blofis, especially not after fucking her only son into his mattress.

"Come on," Percy sighs, grabbing Jason's hand and pulling him out of his bedroom. "I'm going to introduce you to my mom."

* * *

"You must be Jason," the woman in the kitchen says. She's a mirror image of Percy—older and grayer and female, yes, but her smile is just as bright and just as warm. Jason instantly feels welcome.

"Hi, Mrs. Blofis," he says, feeling his cheeks flush. He hopes he doesn't look too ruffled as he holds out his hand for Percy's mom to shake.

Mrs. Blofis ignores his hand and pulls him into a tight hug, whispering, "Call me Sally, sweetie." Jason stiffens momentarily, then relaxes against her. He's not used to hugs from anyone other than Piper, but Mrs. Jackson smells like pie, and Percy is giving him an encouraging smile over her shoulder.

When Sally pulls away, she looks over the two boys, a smirk stealing over her mouth. "Did you at least use protection, Percy?"

"_Mom_!" Percy gasps, scandalized, his cheeks turning scarlet. Jason blushes, too, but laughs along with Sally.

"What's this about protection?" A man comes up behind Sally, wrapping an arm around her waist, and she grins up at him.

"Nothing, dear," she says, her eyes twinkling. She points at Jason. "This is Percy's boyfriend, from California. Jason, this is my husband, Paul."

"Jason, huh?" Percy's step dad rubs his chin, looking Jason over. "It's good to meet you, son."

Jason shakes Paul's hand. "It's nice to meet you, too, sir."

As soon as Jason lets go of Paul's hand, Percy drapes his arm over Jason's shoulder, kissing the top of his head.

"Do you need any help with dinner, Mom?" Percy asks, a blinding grin in place. From Percy's expression, Jason can tell that the meeting went better than Percy expected.

"I'm fine, sweetie," Sally says, smiling and shaking her head. "Why don't you take Jason into the living room and find a movie?"

So that's where they go. And Percy tells Jason that his mom and step dad already adore Jason, and Jason waits until he hears the soft lilt of Paul's and Sally's voices from the kitchen before he leans in quick and kisses Percy.

It doesn't feel like it's been two and a half months since they last saw each other, oddly enough. Percy still feels comfortable, and that's what Jason has always liked about him.

* * *

After dinner, Percy helps Sally clean up the kitchen, and sends Jason into the living room to choose a board game with Paul. Thanksgiving isn't for another three days, but Percy insists that board games are mandatory.

"So, Jason," Paul says, slowly, as they rifle through the closet of board games, "I know Percy isn't actually my son, but I feel a responsibility towards him. I'm sure you got this same interrogation from his dad in California, too, but I just want to make sure we're all on the same page here."

Jason pulls Monopoly off the shelf and rests it against his hip, turning to look at Paul. "Sir, is this where you pull out your gun and give me the 'don't hurt my daughter' speech?"

Paul laughs, probably harder than Jason's comment actually warrants, and has to step away from the closet.

"Well, Percy isn't my daughter," he says, still grinning, "and I don't have a gun, and I'm not going to threaten you. I just want to talk. Where do you plan on going in your life, and how does Percy fit into the equation?"

Jason considers, sobering. "Honestly, sir? I don't know what I'm doing with my life. I just know that I want Percy with me, whatever I do."

And that seems to be enough for Paul, because he nods, grins, and slaps Jason on the shoulder.

Later, once Percy and Sally join them, Jason hears Paul whisper to Percy, "He's a keeper."

* * *

"Jason, meet my two best friends, Annabeth Chase and Rachel Dare."

Jason shakes the hands of the two girls—one all sharp angles and sharper gray eyes, and the other all soft curves and tousled red curls—as he and Percy sit down at the table. The girls survey him for a moment, and the blond smiles.

"It's nice to meet you," she says. "I've heard a lot about you. I'm Annabeth."

"And I'm Rachel," the redhead adds.

Jason gives them an amused smile. "Oh, you're the two who put together the summer fling playlist."

Rachel laughs, hard. "Yeah," she says, grinning. "Percy texted us the day after he met you, raving about some blond haired, blue eyed cutie that he couldn't stop thinking about. He said you really enjoyed the playlist."

"Well, yeah." Jason shrugs. "You have good taste in music."

Annabeth sips at her lemonade and fans herself. Percy and Jason met up with Annabeth and Rachel at The Amazon, a Brazilian restaurant in downtown New York. There's one in California, too, that Jason and Percy frequented over the summer.

"When we created the playlist," Annabeth says, "we weren't actually expecting Percy to meet someone he wanted to continue a relationship with past the end of the summer. He's not good at long distance relationships." She smiles, a little sadly, and Jason gets the feeling that there's more to Percy's and Annabeth's shared history than just friendship.

"We're glad he met you, though," Rachel adds, and Jason blushes. "You should see him talk about you. He's like a kid on Christmas Eve, bright eyes and bubbling excitement every time someone says your name. He's really head over heels for you, you know?"

"I think that's enough," Percy interrupts, wrinkling his nose. Jason still can't help but think Percy looks adorable when he wrinkles his nose like that—next to Percy's embarrassed flushed cheeks, it's his favorite look on Percy.

"Oh, you don't want to tell them the story of how you wooed me?" Jason jokes, and Percy sticks his tongue out at him.

Annabeth lets out a noncommittal laugh. "Trust me, we've heard the story enough times. Very touch-and-go. Hollywood cute."

"Annabeth isn't much for a good love story," Rachel says, rolling her eyes. "I find it absolutely adorable, the way you guys met and everything. Like Annabeth said, it's the kind of story that almost never happens outside of the movies."

_Yeah_, Jason thinks, _yeah, it is. _He grins and kisses Percy on the cheek. Because relationships like this one don't just _happen _in real life.

It feels like nothing could go wrong, to Jason. And that's why, when he pulls away from Percy to study his profile, he feels the giddy happiness of finally being around Percy again fade into something darker—like anticipation, only not the good kind.

Jason is just waiting for things to turn sour, which is why the song playing on the radio in The Amazon makes him feel sick.

_Something's gotta go wrong, 'cause I'm feeling way too damn good._

* * *

_**Fin.**_

**The song at the very end is Feeling Way Too Damn Good by Nickleback. It's a great song, go check it out.**

**Chapter three will be posted early December, probably. Cheers!**

**Hope you liked it as much as chapter one, Jahfy (;**

**~THF**


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